There are many variations of fishing rod holders known in the art. These holders are generally used to hold a fishing rod and reel in a position allowing the fishing rod to be used without the need for the angler to hold it. Very often these holders are mounted to or near the stern of a boat for use during trolling operations. Additionally, anglers often do not care to hold the rod in their hands while fishing, even if the boat is not in motion, thereby allowing them to perform other tasks.
Several fishing rod holders have been developed that allow for the mounting of multiple fishing rods. U.S. Pat. No. 4,485,559 issued to Hawie, discloses a multi-rod holder mounted within a conventional rod holder already embodied on a boat. In this invention, the rods are maintained in an upright position, but there is no means for adjusting the position or angle of the fishing rods.
To the extent that there are a variety of adjustable fishing rod holders previously taught, the known prior art rod holders are difficult to manipulate and often times require tools to adjust their positions. One such type of cumbersome fishing rod holder requires a set screw for adjusting the preferred angle. These employ a screw or knob type fastener that, when tightened, frictionally maintains the holder at the desired position, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,438,789 to Emory. To adjust the angle of the rod holder, a screwdriver or the like is required to loosen and tighten the set screw which may require the removal of a fishing rod from the holder. Other prior art uses a screw with a knob that can be turned by hand but often, with continued use, the knob wears and frequently breaks.
The need arose for a fishing rod holder that can be mounted alone or in a series, that allows for the angular adjustment without the need to turn a set screw. Insofar as known, there is no fishing rod holder that is relatively simple in construction that allows the angler to change the attitude of the fishing rod holder simply by depressing a button on the side of the holder, while at the same time locking the desired position as soon as the button is released, allowing the fishing rod holder to be selectively positioned at a range of increments between horizontal and vertical positions.